The Hidden North

Arrive at Bodmin Parkway where David will welcome you to Cornwall. The drive takes you through rolling countryside to The Scarlet, perched on the clifftops above Mawgan Porth — floor-to-ceiling glass, natural materials, and Atlantic views that make you exhale the moment you walk in. Settle in and join David for your first dinner as the sun drops into the sea.

Begin your Cornish adventure with a clifftop walk above Bedruthan Steps — towering rock stacks that Cornish legend says were the stepping stones of a giant. Lunch is in Padstow's harbour, where fishing boats still land the day's catch metres from your table. The afternoon is yours to wander Padstow or unwind at The Scarlet's spa, before a private wine tasting at Ogo paired with wines from Cornwall's most exciting vineyards.

Explore the ancient harbour of Boscastle, a narrow inlet squeezed between towering cliffs that once sheltered smugglers. Walk the coast path to Tintagel — the legendary birthplace of King Arthur — where medieval ruins cling to the cliffs above the sea. Lunch is a proper Cornish pasty from the village, eaten with a view, before an afternoon exploring Tintagel's Castle and its remarkable Norman church.

Leave the coast for a morning on Bodmin Moor, where ancient stone circles have stood for four thousand years and David knows every story behind them. Lunch is at an old English pub nestled in the moorland, the kind of place you'd never find without a local. The afternoon brings you to Port Isaac — the impossibly pretty fishing village made famous by Doc Martin — for a harbour walk and dinner at one of the village's renowned seafood restaurants.

Cross the border into Devon to discover Clovelly, a steep, cobbled fishing village that tumbles down the hillside to the harbour below. Privately owned, with no cars and nothing built for centuries, this 15th-century village is frozen in time. Walk the coast path to Brownsham, then David will take you on a tour of Hartland Quay Museum, curated by his father — dedicated to the shipwrecks, smugglers, and storms that shaped this coastline.

Your final day begins with a walk to Hawker's Hut, the clifftop shelter where legendary Victorian poet-vicar Robert Hawker sat watching for shipwrecks — just you, the gulls, and a drop to the Atlantic. After lunch at The Bush Inn, walk through the lush Marsland Valley with a cream tea stop halfway. Gather for a final group dinner at Pattard Restaurant, where locally sourced produce and the week's stories make for a fitting send-off.

Say goodbye to the coast and transfer to Exeter station for your journey home — or onward to your next adventure. After a week with David, you'll leave with a Cornwall adventure that most visitors never see.